Classics 2220 Classical Mythology The Ohio State University | Fall 2016 1 Tips for Writing Essays, with a Post-Writing Checklist 1. TIPS Formatting & Length  Missing points for Formatting & Length is silly: just follow the assignment sheet!  Do the Title correctly (according to the assignment sheet!). It should take 1 line. Example: o A Necessary Odysseus by J. Doe o Why Homer's Odyssey Should Matter to OSU Freshman by F. Smith Thesis  State your Thesis clearly and up front in its own paragraph.  If you're stuck, base your thesis on the actual words of the prompt, making it the first sentence of your essay. This can help to ensure that your thesis is on topic.  One hallmark of a good thesis is that it contains an explicit or implicit "because." Examples: o This essay will argue that Homer's Odyssey should be required reading for each freshman at OSU because X, Y, Z. o In this essay I will provide two reasons that the Odyssey should be included in a required freshman curriculum. The first reason is. . . The second reason is. . . After making this argument in two concise body paragraphs, I will end by briefly forestalling a potential counterargument. Supporting Paragraphs Topic Sentences. Just as an essay must have an introductory/thesis paragraph, so too you must give your body paragraphs their own thesis statements. We call this a topic sentence. Do not begin a body paragraph with a summary of a text—BEGIN IT WITH A TOPIC/THESIS SENTENCE. Indicate what the paragraph will be about with the first sentence. All of your evidence and argument in that paragraph will be used to illustrate/argue for the topic sentence. So: at the paragraph level, Topic sentence first, then Evidence & Argument! Here are some good body paragraph starters, from real student essays (on the topic of polytheistic socities): In a polytheistic culture, each god can portray different characteristics, which are also relatable to human nature. As we can see in Hesiod’s Theogony. . . A polytheistic culture could contribute to the community by having many gods to fulfill the desires of different people. In Enuma Elish. . . Hesiod’s Theogony exemplifies the tendency of polytheistic religions to showcase humanlike gods. Kronos, for example,. . . Classics 2220 Classical Mythology The Ohio State University | Fall 2016 2 Polytheistic beliefs have potential to explain the world, because they are easy for humans to comprehend. An example of creation that is easy to comprehend is when Hesiod explained how Day was created. He stated that. . . Argument & Evidence  An important part of earning full credit for argument is explicitly connecting your citations of ancient sources (i.e., your evidence) to your thesis.  It is not sufficient simply to quote texts. To be considered “evidence” you must connect them to your Thesis.  USE PHRASES THAT MAKE THE CONNECTION ...

1. Classics 2220 Classical Mythology
The Ohio State University | Fall 2016
1
Tips for Writing Essays, with a Post-Writing Checklist
1. TIPS
Formatting & Length
Length is silly: just follow
the assignment sheet!
should take 1 line.
Example:
o A Necessary Odysseus by J. Doe
o Why Homer's Odyssey Should Matter to OSU Freshman by F.
Smith
Thesis
prompt, making it the
first sentence of your essay. This can help to ensure that your

2. thesis is on topic.
lmark of a good thesis is that it contains an explicit or
implicit "because."
Examples:
o This essay will argue that Homer's Odyssey should be
required reading for
each freshman at OSU because X, Y, Z.
o In this essay I will provide two reasons that the Odyssey
should be included
in a required freshman curriculum. The first reason is. . . The
second
reason is. . . After making this argument in two concise body
paragraphs, I
will end by briefly forestalling a potential counterargument.
Supporting Paragraphs
Topic Sentences. Just as an essay must have an
introductory/thesis paragraph, so too you
must give your body paragraphs their own thesis statements. We
call this a topic
sentence. Do not begin a body paragraph with a summary of a
text—BEGIN IT WITH A
TOPIC/THESIS SENTENCE. Indicate what the paragraph will
be about with the first
sentence. All of your evidence and argument in that paragraph
will be used to
illustrate/argue for the topic sentence.
So: at the paragraph level, Topic sentence first, then Evidence
& Argument!

3. Here are some good body paragraph starters, from real student
essays (on the topic of
polytheistic socities):
In a polytheistic culture, each god can portray different
characteristics, which are
also relatable to human nature. As we can see in Hesiod’s
Theogony. . .
A polytheistic culture could contribute to the community by
having many gods to
fulfill the desires of different people. In Enuma Elish. . .
Hesiod’s Theogony exemplifies the tendency of polytheistic
religions to showcase
humanlike gods. Kronos, for example,. . .
Classics 2220 Classical Mythology
The Ohio State University | Fall 2016
2
Polytheistic beliefs have potential to explain the world, because
they are easy for
humans to comprehend. An example of creation that is easy to
comprehend is when
Hesiod explained how Day was created. He stated that. . .
Argument & Evidence

4. explicitly connecting your
citations of ancient sources (i.e., your evidence) to your thesis.
“evidence” you must
connect them to your Thesis.
BETWEEN CLAIM AND EVIDENCE
EXPLICIT.
Here are some good thesis-evidence-argument connectors, from
real essays:
These two examples are just a few that show how polytheism
has a connection
with human life.
This story shows that kingship should go to those with the
knowledge and valor to
do so.
In both the Theogony and human history, they have learned that
greed for power
eventually results in losing all your power to someone else.
Thus, they have
progressed towards the sharing of power in order to stay as the
top ruler.
One piece of evidence for this claim about polytheism’s

5. capacity to better
represent the world’s complexity can be found in Hesiod’s
Theogony. There, we
see that in the case of Chaos . . . This passage demonstrates my
thesis that. . .
From these examples in the Iliad, I conclude that. . . These
conclusions, in turn,
support the second part of my initial thesis that. . .
Grammar & Other Mechanics of Writing
mechanics is to read the
essay out loud to yourself and to some friends, fixing errors as
you find them.
Classics 2220 Classical Mythology
The Ohio State University | Fall 2016
3
2. POST-WRITING CHECKLIST
Consider using the following checklist as you prepare your
essay.
Structure

6. 1. _____ I have created a thesis paragraph that introduces the
argument clearly and
thoroughly. It follows the prompt and defines key terms I will
use in my essay.
2. _____ I have created a “roadmap” in the thesis paragraph that
outlines the major
points.
3. _____ I have created a conclusion that restates and possibly
extends the argument.
It also brings the essay to a memorable finish.
4. _____ I have thought about how my paragraphs are arranged
and have structured
them in a way that best supports my argument.
5. _____ I have confirmed that each body paragraph has a topic
sentence and that
they flow logically from the preceding paragraph.
Substance
1. ____ I have developed a clear argument based on the prompt.
2. _____ I have developed a creative argument.

7. 3. _____ I have used appropriate evidence from appropriate
sources in support of the
argument.
4. _____ I have verified that each paragraph contains evidence
to support the topic
sentence and the overall argument of the essay.
Style
1. _____ I have proofread the paper for spelling, punctuation,
citation, and grammar
errors.
2. _____ I have read the paper aloud to myself or to someone
else, listening for
sentences that do not make sense or seem too long.
3. _____ I have had a friend or classmate check the paper for
stylistic errors.
4. _____ I have followed the formatting and length guidelines
on the assignment
sheet.

8. Classics 2220 Classical Mythology
The Ohio State University | Autumn 2016
Paper #1
ASSIGNMENT
For this essay, pretend that you have been selected to be a
student representative on a
curriculum development committee at The Ohio State
University. The committee’s task is
to design a required reading curriculum for OSU freshman. You
decide that Homer’s Iliad
should be required as part of this curriculum, given the way
we’ve read it in Classical
Mythology. All the committee members are bringing written
proposals about the
curriculum; you too bring yours.
In this essay, you must argue that the Iliad should be required
reading for every
freshman at OSU. In other words, the essay answers the
question, why should every OSU
freshman be required to read Homer’s Iliad? To earn an “A” on
this paper, students must
account for the citizen identity of each OSU student, based on
the seal’s motto Disciplina in
Civitatem, “Education for Citizenship.”
To develop your argument, think about the observations,
provocations, and inspirations
we’ve discussed in class, and the particular audience of the Iliad
in this case, OSU student-
citizen freshmen. The essay must state its thesis in a short
introductory paragraph,
followed by a few body paragraphs actually making the
argument. As part of its evidence

9. the essay must cite specific passages of the Iliad at least three
times (not necessarily quote,
but cite), using book number and approximate line number:
9.310. You may only use the
Iliad as evidence. Further details in the rubric are below.
Assigned: Thu Sep 22.
DUE: As a Microsoft Word document or pdf, Fri Sep 30 by 5pm
in Carmen’s Dropbox.
Penalty for late papers: 1 point per 24 hour period
Option to Collaborate: For this paper, students may collaborate
with one classmate to
prepare, compose, and turn in one paper. To do this, each
student must still turn in his/her
copy on Dropbox on-time, but should indicate both their own
and their partner’s name on
the subject line. For example: “A Necessary Iliad by Margaret
MacGregor and Bill Veith”.
Each student will receive the same grade, but feedback will be
provided only to one of the
partners. Students who collaborate with more than one partner
will receive a zero.

10. Classics 2220 Classical Mythology
The Ohio State University | Autumn 2016
RUBRIC
Formatting & Length
_____ / 1 Is the paper appropriately formatted?
-point, Times New Roman font in black
ns
_____ / 1 Is the paper the appropriate length?
and the
essay itself should start on the second; no additional space
should be
taken up with headers, dates, etc.
ing over the page limit will not be considered part of
the essay.
Thesis
_____ / 3 Does the thesis
ints the essay will make
to argue the
thesis?
Supporting Paragraphs

11. _____ / 2 Argument: do the supporting paragraphs sufficiently
argue the thesis?
_____ / 2 Evidence: does the essay use sufficient evidence from
the texts, and cite it
correctly, to support the argument?
Grammar & Other Mechanics of Writing
_____ / 1 Does the essay use proper grammar, spelling, and
punctuation, and is the
prose clear?
TOTAL __________ / 10